Gordini Expands Its Team Of Athletes With Gabby Palko & Robin Van Gyn
Gordini, elevating cold weather gear by advancing glove design and technology for the last 65 years, announces the expansion of its team of athletes with the addition of Gabby Palko and Robin Van Gyn. Skier, sailor and environmentalist Palko calls Valdez, Alaska, (as well as her sailboat Zephyr) home, while 2021 Natural Selection Tour Winner Van Gyn splits her time snowboarding and surfing on her native Vancouver Island and Glacier, WA. They join Julian Carr and Rafael Pease as Gordini Athlete Team members.
Palko graduated from Colorado College with a degree in environmental policy and was named one of its “5 under 25” alumni in 2019. While she loves ski touring the “most magical” places in the world, Palko has also hosted the Valdez Climate March as part of the 2019 Global Climate Strike and received a Distinguished Service Award in environmental policy.
Acclaimed athlete, guide and big mountain competitor, Van Gyn has many exceptional career accomplishments to date, including logging more than 13 years of filming in the backcountry, earning back-to-back titles for “Video Part of the Year” and consecutive nominations as “Rider of the Year” by Transworld Snowboarding. She will return to the Natural Selection Tour, where she captured wins at both the Baldface and Alaska venues and walked away with the overall tour title for 2021. Van Gyn is currently continuing her work on the action documentary series “Fabric,” highlighting women’s contributions to surf, skate and snow sports.
“We take great pride and consideration in our team of athletes. While there are many great outdoor enthusiasts out there, we wanted to be very thoughtful in whom we partnered with to represent the Gordini brand ethos,” said Brett Wagenheim, Gordini marketing communications director. “We welcome Gabby and Robin wholeheartedly into the greater Gordini Family. They have quickly and easily melded into this tight-knit, hardworking and passionate group.”
Gordini Skier and Founder of the Cirque Mountain Running Series Julian Carr, currently based in Golden, CO, also serves as an ambassador for Protect our Winters, Climate Reality Project and is a board member of the Lands Conservation Foundation. Gordini Splitboarder Rafael Pease, divides his time between Santiago, Chile, and Girdwood, AK, is passionate about combining his education in environmental science and his work as an activist with his love for the mountains. Pease has been the driving force behind educational film projects, including Tupungato and Korovado and is actively involved in more than 10 Chilean organizations dedicated to environmental protection and legislative reform.
“It was very important to us to bring together a group of athletes and outdoor enthusiasts who are actively focused on education and outdoor access for all and could also collaborate well with both our Gordini team and each other,” continued Wagenheim. “We look forward to Gabby and Robin continuing the tradition of our athlete team influencing and testing product and design. This group carries with it a plethora of future partnership opportunities from film collaborations to environmental education programs to new women’s collection inspiration.”
Carr and Pease both had a hand in developing new Gordini glove offerings for Winter 2021/22. The Front Line collection of liners and shells, available as gloves and mitts are designed to work as a system, are built for backcountry versatility with Schoeller Keprotec® palms and bluesign APPROVED materials. The new Cirque series includes a genuine goatskin shell and accents that are responsibly-sourced from a Leather Working Group certified partner.
